Research on retaining nursing assistants employed in nursing homes, a research project conducted by Clara Berridge, assistant professor, School of Social Work, with researchers from Brown and Brandeis universities, was chosen by the Mather Institute to receive a 2020 Innovative Research on Aging Award—one of 10 teams selected. Berridge’s study, called Leadership, Staff Empowerment, and the Retention of Nursing Assistants: Findings from a Survey of U.S. Nursing Homes, received a bronze award.
Nursing assistant retention is a critical and universal issue. Using a nationally representative nursing home survey, Berridge and the other researchers found that leadership and staff empowerment were the most significant factors in retaining nursing assistants. Their findings highlight how important it is for nursing assistants to feel part of the team and to have some input in decision making. By recognizing the value of team membership, inclusion and involvement in decision making, nursing homes may be able to increase loyalty and long-term retention of nursing assistants.
Berridge joined the School of Social Work in 2016, where she focuses her research on the intersection of gerontology, bioethics and healthcare technology. She studies the ethical and policy implications of artificial intelligence and network-connected technologies, and has also researched positive aging paradigms, nursing home culture change and staff empowerment.
The Mather Institute, based in Evanston, Ill., supports research and information about wellness, aging, industry innovations and trends in senior living. Its Innovative Research on Aging Award recognizes applied research that offers important implications for the senior living industry. Award recipients are selected based on the project’s relevance, quality of research methods and systems, actionability of findings and recommendations, and innovation.
An abstract of the team’s research findings, published in the September 2020 issue of JAMDA may be accessed here.